Former Jazz center Jarron Collins, left, guards twin Jason Collins, then and now with the Nets, in a 2003 game. / Bill Kostroun, AP

by Sam Amick, USA TODAY Sports

by Sam Amick, USA TODAY Sports

Nearly 10 months after Jason Collins came out of the closet, there was finally news that his NBA career had been revived too.

The 35-year-old was headed to the Brooklyn Nets by way of a 10-day contract, thereby making him the first openly gay player in the four major North American sports. Naturally, Jason wanted to make sure his twin brother, Jarron, would be there to enjoy the moment. So he called to offer an invite, hopeful that the former NBA player and current Los Angeles Clippers personnel scout would be able to make it to Sunday's game against the Los Angeles Lakers at the Staples Center.

"Technically, this game was on my schedule to scout prior to my brother signing, so he (said on the phone call), 'Hey, you want to go to the game tonight?' " Jarron Collins, who is heterosexual, told USA TODAY Sports by phone. "And I said, 'Well, I'm already going.' (But) my duties and responsibilities aside, I'm obviously very excited that my brother has this opportunity to continue his NBA career with Brooklyn."

As Jarron would go on to say in a 20-minute discussion about the meaning of his brother's return to the NBA and the 10 months that led to it, he was more of a fan than a scout on Sunday night.

Q: So social issues aside, how do you see this as a basketball fit?

A: He's in a good situation in terms of familiarity with coach (Jason) Kidd, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Joe Johnson, Deron Willliams, Andrei Kirilenko - two of his teammates now who were teammates of mine for six and eight years, respectively. So the locker room is very familiar with my brother. That will definitely make the transition a lot easier for everybody.

Just bringing somebody in for 10 days, and obviously my brother is coming in with the intention to compete and bring value added to the team. That's what it's all about. It's about winning games, and hopefully he'll contribute in whatever way they need to help win games.

Q: What was your view in these last 10 months of his workout regimen and that unique experience of not knowing if he'd ever get a shot but having to be ready if he did. He's 35, and we know he'd been busy as a spokesman for the cause and even as a guest of the First Lady. But basketball-wise, talk about the work. What did you see there?

A: You know what? The word that comes to mind is "dedicated." Obviously my brother has eight minutes on me, but I understand what it takes and all it takes to be a professional athlete. That's why I retired. I can't do that anymore. But when I see my brother, and the hours - literally he'd go work out for two to three hours in terms of weights, conditioning, basketball, working on everything that it takes to be a professional athlete, the word that comes to mind is "dedicated."

Of course it's not going to come as a surprise to people who have played with Jason. His former teammates, or guys who know my brother professionally, that's what the twin is - he's a dedicated teammate, a dedicated athlete, and that's the the word that comes to my mind as far as the level of commitment that he approached each day as an opportunity to get better. It's a little thing, but you hear coaches say it all the time: today is an opportunity to get better. My brother, literally, would spending hours making sure that when the opportunity presented itself, he'd be ready. So he has the opportunity now.

Having said all that, there's obviously a difference between playing games and working out, so we'll see - obviously everybody will see - how that goes. But I don't anticipate any problems with him in terms of his conditioning level or anything like that. As far as the pace of the game, the speed of the game and all that stuff, he should be fine.

Q: How do you see the locker room component and the question of how ready NBA locker rooms are for transparency on this front? As his brother, any concerns there?

A: To me, I feel as though NBA locker rooms are good workplace environments regardless of anything really. I think anyone would tell you, "Can the guy hoop? Can he play? Can he help our team win?" And I think that's what NBA athletes concern themselves with as far as teammates go. They want guys, solid guys, to be supportive, have their backs, that are going to work, that have the same level of commitment to reaching the goals as everyone else, to a man. I think at the end of the day, everybody just wants to know, "Can anybody who joins an NBA team, can my teammate help us win games?" That's what it comes down to, and I think locker rooms are fine.

Q: But brothers are protective by nature, so no concerns when it comes to possible (mistreatment) from fans or players?

A: I would say that you can't control other people. Being a player, and especially somebody like myself who was a player in the NBA, you only control what you can control. And I mean that in the simplest terms. You have to have - and I don't care what it is - a laser focus about things. So if anybody - whether it be members of the media, whether it be fans, whether they just be players, executives, whatever - you can't worry about peripheral comments. You can't worry about things that you can't control, so I think from my perspective being a brother - a protective brother, as you mentioned - I don't concern myself with those things.

I concern myself with just being supportive to my brother and encouraging him and being there for him. That's my role. My brother's job as a player is to have laser focus and to go out there and do the job that he was brought in to do. As far as other situations, scenarios, statements that may or may not be made, it's not really a concern. Control what you can control.

Q: You hear the dialogue around this, and you have the irony of it being Brooklyn so it's the same spot where Jackie Robinson made his history back in 1947. In terms of the daily challenges that come with this, what do you think he'll face?

A: Yeah, I've heard that argument and stuff like that. I think the moment is a significant moment. But having said that, my brother is a basketball player who was brought in to play basketball, and that's how I look at it. I know there's a lot of extra stuff that comes with it because of my brother being who he is, but simply put: my brother is a basketball player brought in to play basketball, and I'm excited that he gets an opportunity to continue his career. And to a certain degree, maybe I'm a little bit jealous that I can't go back there. But honestly, at the end of the day, I'm good for maybe two down and backs (laughs). I can't do it.

Q: So let me get this right about (Sunday): Will part of your Clippers report involve a breakdown of your brother's game?

A: (Laughs.) I'll just say this. I may be more of a fan than a scout in this game.